Automatic Refresh Changes

Let’s start with some of the features that affect a larger number of our users and then we’ll move into some of the more specialized changes.

First, we’ve made a couple of small changes to the Automatic Refresh feature. We have moved the location of where you turn the auto refresh on and off.

The location of the Automatic Refresh toggle has been moved from the main menu (Refresh|Automatically Refresh) to the Options window (Tools|Options|Connections|Refreshes).

In addition, we have added the ability to make the Automatic Refresh automatically load any items that have been newly created by another program. Just check the second box to make this happen.

This is useful when you use Selling Manager Pro to automatically relist items for you. Previously, users had to perform an “Import|Import from eBay” to get any items that were relisted by Selling Manager Pro. By turning on this new option, eB will be able to automatically retrieve those new listings for you.

Enhanced Barcode Reader Support

In the latest version, we have added some functionality to allow you to take greater advantage of a barcode reader.

Let me start by explaining what a barcode reader is and how it works. A barcode reader (or barcode scanner) is just like the little “guns” that you see any customer checkout person using. It can read a barcode on an item and enter it directly into the computer. It acts just like a keyboard. If you place your cursor in a notepad file and scan a UPC, the barcode reader simply sends the numbers it has scanned to the computer just like your keyboard would. The end result is just a quicker way to get those numbers entered into the computer.

Using a barcode reader in Blackthorne prior to this version, would work the same way it does in notepad. You could place your cursor in the search field and scan a UPC and the number would get entered.

Wouldn't it be nice though if using the barcode reader could do more than just enter the numbers depending upon where it was used. For instance, if you are on the Items, Listings or Sales modes, and simply click a UPC, wouldn't it be nice if Blackthorne simply assumed that since you clicked that UPC you wanted to search for that item, listing or sale. That is exactly what the built in barcode functionality in Blackthorne does.

If you store the part number for your items, and there is a barcode on the item (either a UPC code, or an inventory label that you created from eB) all you need to do in Items, Listings or Sales mode is click the barcode and eB will instantly display the item you are looking for.